


Purple rain

by HedaCarmilla



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band), 호텔 델루나 | Hotel Del Luna (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26792380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedaCarmilla/pseuds/HedaCarmilla
Summary: Kim Sua, a long time ago known as Kim Bora, owns a hotel. And she hates every bit of it. She hates working with the dead, although she guessed that as far as eternal punishments go, this isn't the worst case scenario.Kim Yoohyeon is dead. Not much of a change, her life wasn't the most exciting there was, mostly stuck in a hospital bed. So when she find out death is not the end? She's happy.Mago will never let things be as easy as they seem, not for Sua and Yoohyeon nor for anyone else they encountered.
Relationships: Kim Bora | SuA/Kim Yoohyeon, Kim Bora | SuA/Lee Siyeon, Kim Minji | JiU/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Look most people in this fic are ghosts, I'm not sure that means a character death warning is needed. You tell me. Suayeon is in the tags, they're a past relationship, but there will be flashbacks. Suyoo and Singji are the main ships. Handong will show up in later chapters, don't worry

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that her body no longer hurt. The second, that she was cold. Like… really cold. But it didn't bother her. She sat up from the hospital bed and stretched. The body she left behind didn't bother her, it wasn't the first nor the last time as far as she remembered. Her only regret was having died in a hospital gown this time. A thought crossed her mind and she immediately lifted a hand to her lip. A relieved sigh escaped from them, her piercing was still there. It hadn't been long since she got it, and she worried it might have stayed behind. 

Yoohyeon looked around. The previous times, Grim would've been there already, checking his watch and telling her it's not her time yet. But he wasn't here… Neither to help her pass nor to get her back. Did that mean something? Yoohyeon didn't know. She looked at the doctors trying to bring her back, but the lack of deities and of the pull in her chest told her there was no coming back. She wasn't sure she minded. For a short moment, she debated waiting there for Grim to come, but it didn't take too long for her to decide to leave alone. She spent most of her life waiting for him, surely he could come look for her when she was needed, right?

She stepped outside, in the setting winter sun. While the cold didn't bother her anymore, she was thankful she died with socks on. It would've felt too wrong to go outside barefoot, with all the dust and germs. 

The cold air felt so nice in her lungs, the antiseptic smell no longer burning her nose. She was dead, but this was the most alive she's felt this lifetime. Well, other than when she sneaked out at 19 and got her piercings. Which she never regretted. Yoohyeon smiled and kept walking, as the full moon rose above the city.

Gahyeon was already dozing off at the front desk. Nobody came by that early in the day, so why her boss forced her to be there was still beyond her. Always nagging and screaming, she was certain Sua would've killed her by now, if she wasn't already dead. She yawned just as the doorbell chimed, startling her. A tall girl, her hair bleached and matching her hospital gown walked in. 

"Hello, ma'am. Do you remember how long you've been dead?" She recited while making her way around the desk, to greet the guest. 

Yoohyeon startled, she passed a lot of people that day, but none of them could see her. Well, almost none, there was that one woman with half her face blown off… she shivered thinking of the sight. Despite her questions, she decided she shouldn't be rude and answer the question.

"Uhhh about 7 hours I think? Died on the hospital bed, weak heart." On top of many other complications.

"I see. Let me show you to your room. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, which our staff will be more than happy to answer." The polite smile not once left Gahyeon's lips. Yoohyeon thought she resembled a cat, or a very cute fox. 

Gahyeon started walking, passing through a set of big wooden doors and into a foyer that could probably hold every room Yoohyeon had ever seen and then some. A woman with bright red hair approached them, and Yoohyeon was instantly charmed by her bright smile. 

The woman bowed slightly in front of Yoohyeon. "Good evening. My name is Kim Minji, I am here to help you resolve any resentments you have keeping you from leaving to the afterlife. How may I serve you?"

Yoohyeon was still shaken by the beauty around her, she doubted her living self would've been able to afford such services, but the dead didn't have to pay for anything, did they? She might as well enjoy this as long as she could. "Maybe I can change into something other than the hospital gown?" She would've accepted anything, even funeral clothes. 

"Of course. Please, follow me. And if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Gahyeon, I think you can go back to the front desk." Minji said and led the way. 

Gahyeon, so that was her name. Yoohyeon made sure to remember it, or at least try to. If she could stay behind, maybe she still had a chance…

It took her a while, but she finally settled on a green hoodie and sweat pants. There wasn't much need for glamour if she was dead anyways. After leaving the ' beautification center', as minji called it, although it was more of an oversized spa and shopping center, she was sent to the owner's office. 

Somehow, she managed not to get lost, but the big doors were intimidating, and she could hear voices from behind them. She waited for what felt like hours, before a person walked out. They were wearing a nice, black suit with a golden pin. 'Human manager, Lee Yubin'. Did that mean they managed humans or that they were human? Yoohyeon didn't get much time to question that.

"You must be a new customer. Miss Kim is waiting for you, you should go in." Yubin said before leaving.

Yoohyeon took a deep breath before stepping inside the room. Just like the rest of the hotel, it was big and glamorous. Were all hotels like this? She wouldn't know. 

Behind a big desk sat a small woman, with sharp features. On her desk, in front of all the papers and glasses was a nameplate. "Kim Sua." She read out loud.

"Are you going to sit down, or do I need to teach you how to do that?" The woman said. Despite the annoyance in her tone, her voice was nice. It helped calm some of Yoohyeon's nerves as she sat across from her. 

Sua put down her pen and crossed her arms on the desk. "In order to provide you with the best service, I need to ask you a few personal question. Ok? Good, let's start then." She said, without even giving Yoohyeon a chance to disagree. "It says here you died at 20, bla bla bla…" her eyes skimmed over the paper under her hands. "You're here, which means you're not ready to move on. Why? What do you regret?"

Yoohyeon didn't even need time to think. "I never got to live. My whole life was spent in a hospital. I guess I want to experience life before I move on?"

"You guess, so that's not it. " Sua sighed. "First customer today and you're already being difficult. We have a limit of one month stay, for unpaying customers. You will have full access to our facilities. After that time is up, you will either need to pay to extend your stay or work for us. You should come see me again when you figure out what's really holding you here. " She picked up her pen again and started writing, dismissing Yoohyeon with a wave of her hand.

Yoohyeon sat up and left. She's been told she's a very confused person, but this time she doubted it was her fault. The woman, Sua, seemed to be talking more to herself than to Yoohyeon. Besides, why else would she be stuck here if not to experience life? She didn't do anything much she could've regreted. 

With that question in mind, she kept walking around the hotel. She wasn't necessarily looking for her room as much as she was looking around, and soon enough she ended up in a big, open view room. 

"Hello, welcome to the Sky Bar. Would you like to try our signature cocktail, Paradise?" A woman said from behind a bar. 

"I… I'll take something non alcoholic, please. "

The woman deflated slightly, but got to making a colorful drink with plenty of ice. "You must be new here. I'm Lee Siyeon, the bartender."

"I'm Yoohyeon. Nice to meet you." She sat down on a stool and gave a small smile. "You're a bartender? You must work here then."

Siyeon nodded. "Been for the past 500 years. " She slid a blue drink in front of Yoohyeon. She took a sip, it tasted like blueberries.

"500? You mean like half a century?"

"No, half a millennium. You're not very good at math are you?"

Yoohyeon had to admit that it was never her strong suit. "Can I ask you something? Why are you still here?" She realised it may not be the most polite thing, but didn't Gahyeon say she could ask any staff anything?

"I have a deal with the owner. I'll work here until I see her genuinely happy. So far, I feel like my job is safe, unfortunately."

Yoohyeon felt like there was more left unsaid, but at the same time she didn't want to annoy such an old ghost. Besides, the owner didn't seem a very cheerful person, so Siyeon's words made sense. She kept taking small sips from her drink, looking around, when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned around and saw an old woman at a table in the back. "Siyeon? Is she a customer here too? She doesn't look dead." Yoohyeon pointed to her

Siyeon looked that direction, her face unreadable. She nodded, although Yoohyeon felt it wasn't aimed at her.

"No, she's... Her name is Mago. She's a deity, you don't want to get tangled with her. Trust me." 

"Why? Is she dangerous?" Yoohyeon asked, and sat up when she got the confirmation she wanted. "I'm going to talk to her."

Then her vision went dark, and a familiar laugh echoed in her ears.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to TheBlinkFox for agreeing to beta this story, ily :3

When she woke up, her head was throbbing. The light hitting her eyes was too bright for her liking. She groaned, lifting an arm to cover her face.

"Miss Kim? Miss Kim, are you feeling alright?" A voice asked. Yoohyeon had absolutely no idea who it was.

"Too bright." She said, and soon enough the lights deemed and she could open her eyes. Looking around, she noticed that it was Siyeon who was by her side, and Minji who was changing the lights. "What happened? Why does my head hurt?" 

"I- I don't know. I think it was Mago, I should've taken everyone out as soon as I saw her, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Siyeon said in a rush, making Yoohyeon wonder. The tired look on Minji's face only raised her curiosity.

"Siyeon… you know that Mago always gets what she wants. It's not your fault. " The red haired girl put a gentle hand on Siyeon's back, but the latter just pulled away, either missing or ignoring the hurt expression. 

"Can someone explain what you mean? What are you sorry for?" Yoohyeon would've loved to keep watching the two, but the way Siyeon acted made her think she was in danger. If she was going to die again, she really wanted to know. 

Minji was the one to answer instead. "Miss Kim, we are sorry because Mago has put her sights on you. We are not sure what it means yet, but it… it usually isn't good news. From the looks of it, she put you in a dream like state last night, do you recall anything?" Yoohyeon couldn't tell if she was asking with concern or curiosity.

"Just call me Yoohyeon, miss makes me sound old." She answered, trying to buy some time to think. She sat up on the couch she was on and tried to remember. But other than the laugh… there was darkness. Not black, as if her eyes closed, but pure darkness, as if her eyes had never seen anything. She thought harder, closing her eyes to concentrate. It seemed to work, as she remembered hearing steps, but they were followed by the sound of metal and then a stabbing pain right through her heart. She opened her eyes, gasping for air and clutching her chest. She held her free hand out, signaling the two women to keep their distance. A minute passed before she regained her composure, under the worried gazes of Siyeon and Minji.

"Are you alright? Did you remember something?"

Yoohyeon decided she shouldn't tell them yet. She wanted to figure this out on her own first, and she didn't know them well enough to fully trust them. "I'm fine. Just… I guess aftershocks from when I was alive, you know?"

Siyeon nodded, her hand subconsciously moving to her neck. "Yeah… that can happen the first few days. It's usually tiring, you should get some rest. "

"For once, I agree with Siyeon. " Minji put on the same smile she had when she first met Yoohyeon, she realised it was her professional smile. It made her wonder what the woman looked like when she was actually happy, not just being polite. 

"This is your room. It may not look like much, but you can always personalize it from the control panel." Minji walked to the door, where indeed there was a small black screen. She gave Yoohyeon a short description of the settings, helping her choose a bed and plushies- Yoohyeon insisted they were vital to any bedroom- before her and Siyeon left the girl to rest. Yoohyeon closed her eyes and pulled the soft toy elephant to her chest, she's always loved elephants. Surprisingly, sleep came easy to her, but it surely wasn't restful.

Once they left the room, Siyeon started pinching Minji's hand, as she often did when nervous. Since it was now day, and most of their customers were sleeping, Minji led the other girl to her room. 

Siyeon's room wasn't flashy. It was painted a calming blue. There were sparse decorations. A bookshelf on a wall, a sword mounted on another, under a wolf painting. A symbol from her lifetime, Siyeon once told her. Her protector. Considering that Siyeon died young, Minji doubted the wolf did much protecting. But she never questioned Siyeon's faith. Minji's eyes scanned over the bookshelf and the titles on it, while waiting for Siyeon to tell her what was on her mind. The younger girl always needed time to think when something was bothering her.

Eventually, just as Minji was running out of titles, Siyeon spoke. "What do you think Mago is doing?"

She didn't have a good answer for that. Usually, they figured what Mago was aiming for only when it was already done. They still didn't know why she kept their boss, Sua, in this hotel, despite her bad management and temper. They still didn't know why she allowed them to stay behind after they died. Simply put, nobody knew Mago, not even Grim who Siyeon had gotten drunk multiple times in vain attempts at learning something about the strange deity. 

"I don't know, trying to find Gahyeon a girlfriend so she can move on?" Minji tried to joke, but the scared look in Siyeon's eyes told her this wasn't the moment.

"What if… what if this is the end? What if because of Yoohyeon I'll have to go?" 

Minji frowned. This couldn't be it. Not when she was so close, so damn close. "Why are you saying that? "

Siyeon sighed. She let go of Minji's hands, and the other girl instantly found herself missing the contact. "After Yoohyeon passed out, Mago smiled at me. Looked right into my eyes and smiled. You can't tell me that doesn't mean anything. "

Siyeon was right, Minji knew that. Mago was trying to tell her something. Usually, she didn't mind the deity, she allowed her to watch over her family for generations. But in moments like this, she couldn't help loathe her. Loathe her for making Siyeon scared, loathe her for hurting others, and call her selfish but she loathed her for pulling these tricks right when she felt she was making progress with Siyeon. 

"Singnie… I really don't know what to tell you. We both know you're probably right, but…" Minji ran a hand through her hair. "Let's say Yoohyeon is really the one who will bring the end of the hotel as we know it. That either means she will take over, or that she will make Sua leave."

"What are you trying to say?" Siyeon looked at her confused, which melted Minji's heart.

"I'm trying to say, you still have time. She just died, and as much as Sua complains, she wouldn't let this hotel go. And if she's meant to help Sua pass… well it would be much easier to dust her than help her. What we really should be worrying about is telling Sua that Mago had an encounter with a customer." Minji said, trying to change the subject.

It seemed to work, as Siyeon's eyes widened in fear. "Oh no… how are we going to handle that?"

Minji gave a soft smile. "Well… we can always say it was Gahyeon who let her in." She didn't like playing dirty, but they needed to save their necks somehow. And their boss always had a soft spot for the girl who was afraid to pass alone. 

Siyeon smiled too, before letting out a yawn. 

"I think you should get some rest Singnie." Minji said, getting up to leave the room.

"Yeah... You're probably right. Hey, Minji?" Once she had her attention, she looked at her with big, pleading eyes. "Stay with me today?"

On the inside, Minji was bursting with happiness. She always loved it when Siyeon was cute and wanted affection. On the outside, she yawned. She was tired too, after watching that Yoohyeon girl to make sure she was alright. "Of course."

As they got in the small bed, they fell into their usual position. Siyeon snuggled up to Minji's chest, hugging her waist, while the older woman had her arm draped over her shoulders. Minji couldn't resist the temptation, as she pressed a soft kiss to the younger's head. "Sleep well, Singnie." 'I love you' she wanted to add, but couldn't. She worried she was running out of time, but she still couldn't bring herself to do that. Not when Siyeon was still, as far as she was aware, in love with their boss. 

Soon, she thought. Soon enough, I will tell her how I feel. Even if she breaks my heart.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end there's short descriptions of a panic attack and disfunctional families

Who would've thought being dead was so much more tiring than being alive? Yoohyeon felt as if her time was put on fast forward. The owner of the hotel had offered her a month to stay there for free, and almost half of that time was over. 

The hotel was indeed amazing. She had everything she could wish for and more. All the luxury in the world, and she didn't feel like it was enough. In a way, she could tell you why. She was afraid of passing again, after all the unknown was scary. That might be what she would tell the owner when inevitably her free trial at death ended. But there was another reason, related to a certain deity, and certain dreams she kept having.

The dreams… they were driving her crazy. She started journaling them, trying to place a timeline once she realised they were connected. But it was not of much use, as she still couldn't see anything in her dreams, just hear and feel. 

Most of the scenes in her dreams were just… day to day life, she assumed. A lot of people coming and talking to her about useless things, but there had been one that stuck out. 

When she wrote it down, she had closed her eyes in an attempt to feel that moment again. She was laying down, she assumed it was either soft grass or a rough bed. And there was a weight on her left side, a woman. Her own fingers were tangled in the woman's soft, long hair. 

"How long do you think we can hide here?" The woman asked in the dream. Her voice was small, almost as if she was afraid. Yoohyeon wished she could soothe her, but the script was already written.

"Not too long. They will come look for us soon. We both have duties to attend to. " A sigh escaped her lips. Dream Yoohyeon was filled with anger. She couldn't understand why she couldn't just stay with the woman, be helped by her, cared for and care in return. Maybe she couldn't see the walls, the closed doors, the looks her and her lover received, but she could feel the way she clung to her side, as if they could be ripped apart at any moment. "I'm sorry, my dear."

"Hyeon-ah…" the woman caressed her cheek before pressing a soft kiss to her skin. 

Whatever else was said got lost in the late afternoon light shining through the window, waking Yoohyeon back from her dream.

Those dreams, coming to her every night, were Mago's fault. Siyeon and Minji told her so. It wasn't too hard to realise that she was supposed to find her. But there were, as always, problems in her plan. 

First of, she had no idea where Mago was. Second, the only people who might know where Grim and, from what she gathered, the owner of the hotel. Both of whom she couldn't talk to. Siyeon and Minji had expressly told her not to mention Mago around Sua, if she wanted to keep her head. Third, nobody wanted to tell her more about the deity. And she was sure at least Siyeon knew much more than 'she's trouble, stay away'.

That left her with only one option: go find Mago on her own. So she headed to the front office, careful not to be spotted by any employees. It would've gone smoothly, had she not forgotten about Gahyeon, who was, for once, doing her job.

"Heading out?" The girl asked

Yoohyeon jumped out of her skin, making Gahyeon raise a brow. "My bad. Trying to sneak out?"

"I- um- I'm-" Yoohyeon tried to think of an explanation, but her mind went blank.

"Very eloquent." Gahyeon nodded. "You know, you're not allowed outside without either permission from Miss Kim or staff to go with you." 

"Well… Could you join me?" She said, giving her best attempt at puppy eyes.

"I don't know… Sua will murder me if I skip work again…" 

It was a weak attempt at trying to be a good employee, and Yoohyeon saw right through it. "Ah, but it's morning! No customers come during the day! Come on, Gahyeon, aren't you sick of staying behind this desk?" 

For a moment, she thought she oversold it, before Gahyeon sighed dramatically and took off her work hat. "Fine. But only because someone needs to watch you, so you don't get into trouble. What do you even want to do, anyways?" She asked, walking around the desk.

Yoohyeon felt the wheels in her head turn trying to find a believable lie. "I… I want to check in on my parents. See how they're holding up. " 

Gahyeon gave a sympathetic smile before leading the way, which only served to make Yoohyeon feel worse. Not only was she lying to Gahyeon, she also realised she didn't want to see her parents. She didn't resent them, no, but she knew she was always a weight on their shoulders. A burden, in every possible way. 

She wanted them to be happy, but knowing her death was most probably a relief for them? It… it hurt her. Her distraction must've been obvious, as she felt Gahyeon's hand on her shoulder. 

"Hey, you ok?" The girl actually looked concerned, which only served to push forward the tears pricking at her eyes.

Thoughts she didn't want to have started swarming her head, but she just wiped her face and nodded, putting on her best smile. "Yeah, just… I don't know how ready I am to see them. It hasn't even been a month yet, they're probably still- still grieving. "

Yoohyeon started looking around, desperate for a distraction. No, not distraction, she was here to look for Mago, so thinking about her life was already a distraction. She needed… something. Something to focus on. 

"I know it can be rough. But maybe it will help you move on, get the closure you need,y'know? So where do they live?"

She had to think fast if she wanted to get out of this. But the only thing that came to mind was telling the truth which, after seeing how Siyeon and Minji reacted, she decided was a very bad idea. She had cornered herself, like the idiot she was. So she gave Gahyeon her home address, a home she never really got to see, while her mind just shut down. 

Not even the fun of getting to pass through a wall could ease the guilt she was feeling. She took a look at the bills on the kitchen table. All that money and she still died. She felt her jaw tense, her breathing quicken. She wanted to leave, but at the same time not. 

It didn't feel right. It didn't feel right that her parents would very likely go into debt because of her, while she was enjoying a lavish lifestyle after a peaceful death. 

"Who was she to deserve that, huh?" She heard her father, in another room.

"She was our daughter!"

"She was your daughter, not mine. I never even wanted a child, let alone one that sick!"

Her breathing quickened. Her hands started shaking as she raised them to try cover her ears, but it was too late. There was a pang in her chest, as if her ribs were caving in, and she felt as if she was dying again. She ran a hand through her hair, but it served no purpose other than to make her skin crawl.

This was why she didn't want to come. To have all those thoughts in her head was one thing, but to hear them… no. She had to get out. She caught glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her eyes were pitch black, with inky veins covering her skin. She let out a scared scream, which thankfully only Gahyeon heard. 

Gahyeon only needed one look before she knew she had to act. Yoohyeon was getting corrupted, and she may have respected her privacy but the walls were thin. She had heard enough, too much even. 

She led Yoohyeon away from that place, finding a quiet place in a park nearby. Instead of sitting next to her, Gahyeon kneeled in front of the girl, holding her hands. She'd heard from Minji that Yoohyeon was a very touchy person, so she hoped it would help calm her down. 

"What's happening to me… am- am I dying again?" 

"No, no, you'll only have to pass when you're ready." Gahyeon was fast to reassure her. "You're being… well, the technical term is corrupted, but really it happens to every spirit experiencing strong negative emotions. " She stayed quiet, waiting for Yoohyeon to fill the silence. "I heard what happened… " Gahyeon eventually caved in and spoke again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Yoohyeon shook her head, a blink and you'll miss it motion. But she didn't let Gahyeon's hands go. That was alright with the receptionist. Sometimes, people didn't want to talk, they just wanted someone to be there with them. She knew that feeling very well, and she didn't mind being that person for Yoohyeon. After all, she was very good at waiting for others.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am currently writing chapter 7, this has been ready for a while but I had forgotten my password, rip. Sorry for the wait, next couple chapters should come a bit faster

Minji was very rudely woken up by a call. She was going to curse whoever was waking her up at… 10 am in the morning, after she's been working until 6, but seeing that it was her boss she kept her mouth shut. There were rumors Kim Sua had the power to read your mind, and she wasn't taking any chances that day.

"Miss Kim." She said, trying to stifle a yawn. "To what do I own-"

"Be in my office as soon as possible. We have a… difficult case." 

Minji noticed her voice was tense. "I am on my way." She lied, as she was still in bed. At least it was her own bed tonight instead of Siyeon's, or else it would've been even harder to leave.

With that, Sua hung up on her, leaving Minji to get ready. She took a quick glance at her texts, Gahyeon had asked for her help while she was sleeping… she really hoped it could wait, because duty was calling from all sides.

Getting ready didn't take her too long, but as soon as she got out of her room she was greeted by Yubin.

"Miss Lee, I didn't expect to see you here this early. Did Miss Kim call you here too?" 

Yubin sighed at the formality, but Minji couldn't bring herself to drop it with the younger woman. 

"Yes, she did. Apparently some girl got possessed, and Sua wants us to deal with it before Mago finds out. Called all head staff."

"Possessed? So there was a rogue ghost?"

"I don't know yet, I was driving home when Sua called me."

Minji could see that. The dark circles under Yubin's eyes were getting worse by the day. Their boss should treat her with some more respect, she thought. She made a mental note to talk to Sua about that, to make sure Yubin wouldn't get sick because of the schedule. 

"This might take a while… we should grab some coffee before heading in." Minji suggested, to Yubin's relief. "Maybe we can bring Siyeon with us too, she did mention she would stay up to invent something."

"Siyeon, huh?"

"Yes? What do you mean? I'm only making sure she doesn't get in toruble. That dork loves annoying Sua."

Yubin snickered at that. "You're really obvious, you know that? I don't understand how Siyeon didn't notice yet."

"I'm not! I'm just making sure Miss Kim won't yell at her! Wait, what do you mean by obvious?" 

Yubin just smiled at her. The short woman was either very perceptive, or she was indeed bad at hiding her feelings. Whichever the case, she just groaned. "Yubin…"

"Yeah, yeah, not my business. I know. You can buy my silence with a cup of coffee."

"Didn't i already promise you one?"

Yubin smiled. "Exactly. Morning, Siyeon" she greeted, walking into sky bar. 

Siyeon smiled at the two, before realising the time. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Sua call you? Apparently we have a customer to deal with, full staff meeting." Minji slipped behind the bar, lightly touching Siyeon's waist to move her out of the way. "We are going after coffee, to make sure Yubin doesn't join our guests."

"I am not that close to dying yet, Minji" Yubin rolled her eyes, earning a chuckle from the redhead. 

Eventually, they decided to drink their coffees on the way, and arrived in Sua's office. The first thing Minji noticed was, obviously, the new customer. She was a young woman, probably no older than 25, with a thin frame and sharp features. She was beautiful, but the air of anxiety she carried was hiding that.

Sua clicked her tongue, already glaring at the trio. "There you are! I told you to hurry, and you went get coffee?!" She pointed at the half empty cups they were still carrying. "Even Gahyeon got here before you!"

Minji gave Siyeon her coffee and bowed down, apologizing to her boss. "We are sorry. But… what seems to be the problem?"

Sua crossed her arms and turned to the girl. "Well? What are you waiting for, tell them."

The woman opened her mouth, trying to find her words. "My name is Handong." Minji took note of the name and accent, she must've been a foreigner. Not many guests came from outside of Korea, so this was already off to a bad start. "My sister was caught in a car crash a few days ago, and she's been haunting me since. She blamed me for her death, since she was coming to visit me. I… I let her have my body, hoping she would leave me alone, but now Grim is looking for both of us. But i don't want her to die again."

Gahyeon sat next to Handong, resting a hand on her shoulder. The girl did not raise her head. "She arrived here near closing hours, so neither Grim nor Mago had the time to make a move."

Minji pondered for a moment. "So it's not fully possession, as much as it's an offering."

"It's the same thing, a ghost took over a living person's body." Siyeon's tone was cold, showing no sympathy.

"There is a difference! "

"Either way it doesn't matter." Sua cut in. "Grim will try to intervene soon, and we need to make a plan to stop him. How much money do we have?"

"You can't bribe him, Sua, you tried before."

"I did?"

"You were drunk."

"Tch... Then we need a bargaining chip. You need to go catch a corrupted ghost." Sua tapped her chin. "Yes, that should do, he's always looking for them."

Minji noticed Gahyeon in her peripheral vision. The young girl was darting her eyes anywhere but at their boss. Another small detail she saw was that she was picking at the skin around her nails, a nervous habit she rarely saw Gahyeon exhibit. Thankfully, Sua didn't seem to notice.

"Then shall we go now?" Minji questioned.

"Go, after you show Handong her room. For now, she's our customer."

Minji nodded obediently before running Handong through the usual drills. It was almost involuntary, how she could recite the services offered by their hotel, and today it was a good thing. 

Part of her job was figuring out what her customers needed. After centuries on the job, she had gotten pretty good at reading people. Gahyeon was hiding something. Minji couldn't help but worry that their youngest had gotten herself into trouble… was Gahyeon getting corrupted?

The introductory tour felt as if it had been going on for forever, and when it was finally over with and Handong was in her room, Minji rushed to the front desk. Gahyeon was there, as well as Siyeon, but the energy between them was lacking. Gahyeon had definitely gotten into something… it was one of the rare moments Minji wished Siyeon wasn't there.

"Shall we?" Siyeon asked, and Minji's mind wandered for a moment, admiring how good she looked in casual clothes. She blinked the distraction away before nodding. Her goal was to split from her today, not keep her eyes glued on her.

"Yes. Did Yubin go ahead?"

Siyeon shook her head. "She wanted to come with us, but i sent her home. She needs the rest. I'm hoping she won't sneak out again, I'd rather not think she died in her office this week too."

With that, they headed out for the day. Gahyeon kept being unusually quiet, throwing questioning glances at Minji from time to time, who was now wondering what exactly Gahyeon's emergency had been. She regreted not checking the texts before going to meet Sua.


	5. Chapter 5

When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing. But she felt the warm sun on her face. She slowly sat up, patting the space around her. It didn't take her long to realise it wasn't her comfortable bed, back in the hotel. This one was rougher, and her clothes felt different as well… 

And then she heard it.

"Hyeon-ah! Finally, you woke up!"

That voice. She'd heard it so many times before, she knew it was a dream, and she couldn't fight it.

"What time is it?"

"Close to noon. We have to hurry, let's get you changed." 

She heard shuffling around the room, then a pair of warm hands on her arms. 

"Hyeon-ah, are you alright?"

She was not. She remembered what she was preparing for. A wedding rehearsal, with a husband she didn't want. 

"Can anyone see us?" 

"Right now? No, the door is closed. Hyeon, what's wrong?" 

She raised her arms and pulled the girl close. "I'm not ready for today, Bora. It just… it isn't fair."

Bora sighed and hugged her back. "I know… but it's not our choice to make. And i know you'll say it's not fair, and it isn't, and we can't do anything about it. Maybe in another life, we will get luckier."

The time changed, and she could hear leaves rustling in the wind. The sun felt less burning, and she felt a man's hand in her own. 

"I am so glad you agreed to marry our daughter. Not many men looked past her blindness, Sung-ho."

"Those men are fools then. Your daughter is a rose among flowers "

She scoffed at the flattery, but tried to cover it up with a polite chuckle. The boy was marrying her just for the money. 

"A rose does not come without thorns, Sung ho." Bora spoke from behind her. 

She could hear her father grunt. "Hyeon-ah, control your maid."

Maid. Of course, that's what the world saw her and Bora as. Maid and Mistress. And soon enough, they'd both be bossed around by this good for nothing gold digger.

"Why should I, father? After all, she's only speaking the truth. I owe no respect to a man who would use a blind girl for his own gain. "

Her chest pounded with anxiety, as she heard everyone go still. But it was too late to go back now. So she kept talking, telling everyone present how the man behaved behind closed doors, how he tried forcing himself on her, how he only wanted their money, how he has slept with most of their maids when her father was not home. 

"That's enough. I do not care, you need to get married. Our clan needs an heir."

"I would rather die than marry this scum."

"Then you will. Nobody insults me like that!" Sung ho spoke from her right. 

The air stood still, and there was no sound other than the man's steps. She tried to run, but it was too late. The same sound she'd heard before, a sword taken out of its sheath, was followed by blood spilling. She felt herself slowly bleed out, but could not wake up. 

She tried screaming in pain, scream for help, anything, but it was all drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears.

A beat passed, and she heard people rush to her. But it would be too late. She felt someone take her hand, squeezing it.

"B-bora?"

"Yes, Hyeon-ah. It's me. It's ok, you'll be ok. " She could hear the pain and anger in the woman's voice, but there was nothing she could do.

"Bora… I'm sorry. I love you. "

The seconds between the dream ending and Yoohyeon opening her eyes were the most terrifying she had ever experienced. For that time, she thought she had died. Which when she thought about it was ironic, given that she already was a ghost, but in the barely awake state that didn't matter. 

It took her a few minutes to be sure of the control she had over her body, but when she managed to get out of bed, she saw that it was dark outside. She had, surprisingly, managed to sleep through the day. She vaguely remembered Gahyeon telling her she'll check in on her.

She still felt like crap, but the shock of the dream took her mind off the reason why. She decided it was best not to check a mirror yet, and instead moved to her desk. Her dream journal was getting pretty full, she would soon need to ask Minji for another one. But at least she finally had a name for her dream woman. Literal dream woman, since she was too clingy to actually be her type. 

She tried her best to keep her handwriting eligible, but her hand still shook near the end. At least she doubted she'd forget that dream soon. Bored, she checked her phone, waiting for a text from Gahyeon. She had agreed to wait, but… this was taking too long. 

She tried calling the other girl, but it went straight to the voicemail. If she was sleeping on the clock again… well, if she was, yoohyeon couldn't blame her. It must be a pretty boring job. 

She laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, letting her mind wander. 

Was Gahyeon waiting for someone? Or waiting to take revenge? She did not seem the type, Yoohyeon would rather believe she was waiting for a cat or something. 

Why was she there then? When the owner had asked her, she said she wanted to live her life. But if she was being honest, she didn't have much desire to do that. Her mind was screaming at her to just move on already, spare herself the pain. No, something else was the problem, something she felt was above her understanding. And somehow it all related to those damned dreams…

If only she could see in them, see who the man who killed her was… or who that Bora woman was… anyone, really, that might give her a clue, maybe she could move on. But she couldn't, because, just her luck, she was literally blind in her dreams. She cursed it out loud before turning on her side.

All this comfort... And she still couldn't be content. She needed something to do, and not just in the moment. 

Her train of thought was interrupted by Gahyeon opening the door, and quickly shutting it behind.

"Gahyeon? What's with the make up?" Yoohyeon frowned.

"Not to rain on your parade, but you still look corrupted. And we can't use the hotel services, cause you'd die." She said cheerfully, trying to mask her anxiety. 

Yoohyeon's eyes widened. "Die?! Aren't we dead already?!"

"Well, we are, but we can get dead-er. And Sua just ordered us to find a corrupt ghost, so you better get better soon. I don't want you to get found out." 

Yoohyeon opened her mouth to ask more questions, but gahyeon cut her off. "Can't say more, not allowed to. Only employees know." 

While Gahyeon was making Yoohyeon look normal again, a lightbulb went off in Yoohyeon's head. Work. That was it. That was the distraction she needed. Not only would it give her something to do, but it would ease her guilt about living in such luxury. And, hopefully, get her access to information. After all, everyone except her seemed to know everything.

"How do I get hired?"

Gahyeon stopped applying the make up to just look at her. "Get what now?"

"Hired. I want to work, Gahyeon. "

"Why on earth would you want that?" A moment passed before Gahyeon added, her voice slightly wavering with worry. "Please tell me it's not a grudge on your parents."

Yoohyeon's stomach dropped. She might resent what she had heard, but to go as far as to want to hurt them… she shook her head. "No, it's... More complicated than that. And I need something to do to stop obsessing over it, y'know?"

Gahyeon sighed. "When does your trial end?"

"In… a week, I think. "

"Then I need to hurry…" Gahyeon mumbled to herself, before speaking up again. "I'll see what I can do. Sua doesn't really like hiring new people without a reason, so you'll need to convince her yourself. But I can put in a word for you."

For some reason, the thought of meeting the hotel owner again brought butterflies to Yoohyeon's stomach.


End file.
